To mitigate the impacts of climate change, we need to entirely move off of burning natural gas, propane, and other fuels in our homes and offices. That’s X million buildings in the U.S. alone. And unfortunately, we’re currently making abysmal progress here. I’m currently going through the process myself in San Francisco. It’s taken a fair amount of navigating, so I’m sharing here what I’ve learned in the hopes of streamline the process for more people jumping onto the electrification train. The overall process is not location-specific, but I’ll recommend vendors I’ve found helpful or that I’ve had recommended to me that service San Francisco and the Bay Area.
What is Electrification?
“Electrification” is the process of moving processes that previously relied on burning methane, propane, gasoline or other fuels to instead running on electricity.
In the context of our homes, this is often referred to as a “zero net carbon building”, “(net) zero energy homes”, “electrified homes,” or “decarbonized homes.” A zero net carbon building is designed to meet all its energy needs from carbon-free sources such as solar or wind. No matter what you call it, it’s broadly agreed upon that all new and existing homes and other buildings need to move to be fully electrified to combat climate change. This is because we have a path forward for zero emissions electricity through renewables, but burning fuels directly produces carbon dioxide in the location where it’s used, which is incompatible with driving carbon dioxide emissions to zero. On top of that, our natural gas distribution infrastructure leaks, making matters much worse.
- The key to tackling climate change: electrify everything
- Most American homes are still heated with fossil fuels. It’s time to electrify.
The Process
“Unless you have gone through it,” Guay told me, “there is stuff you never would have foreseen.” What Does It Take to Electrify Everything in Your Home?
Buy renewable energy off the grid.
The grid is trending towards being all-renewable, but not there yet. You can immediately start supporting renewable energy by buying Renewable Energy Certificates (“RECs”) for the amount of energy you consume each month.
This is the easiest step, and one you can do right now by signing up through CleanPowerSF (SF-specific) or Arcadia (offered in many regions throughout the US).
Look into home energy auditors
- Home energy auditors
- https://archonenergy.com/
- http://kevelhome.com/
- https://www.yelp.com/biz/pca-inspections-san-francisco?osq=Home+Energy+Auditors
- https://www.yelp.com/biz/advanced-home-energy-richmond-2?osq=Home+Energy+Auditors
- ZNC builders
- https://zeroenergyproject.org/zero-energy-home-builders/
- http://enuconstruction.com/
- https://ecoperformancebuilders.com/
The following is the more DIY approach we ended up taking.
Think about smart home technologies.
Take stock of current natural gas usage.
Space heating
Water heating
If you
If you use radiant heat, your water heating system is likely using a gas boiler, and standard water heater company is likely to be baffled by your system (or at least this is what happened to us multiple times). I realized the trick was to focus on contractors who specialize in radiant heat systems, but still most of them had never designed or installed an electric water heater.
We finally found the trifecta of in California Plumbing & Radiant Heating (Yelp)
Stove
Induction stoves are great [TODO].
If you’re not sure, get one on Amazon to try out.
Models are easy to find online with installation.
Only trick is that you’ll need a 220V outlet in your kitchen, if you don’t have this yet, add to your electrician checklist.
Dryer
Electric dryers are widely available.
Models are easy to find online with installation.
Only trick is that you’ll need a 220V outlet if you don’t have this yet, add to your electrician checklist.
Grills, fire pits, fire places
Grills
Fire pits
Fire places
Electric car
Electrician
Once you’ve figured out your full
Generate your own renewables
In San Francisco, the available renewable power option is currently solar (while there’s innovation underway to make wind urban-friendly, it’s not widely deployed yet).